So yesterday we had a look at the halfling and gnome ancestry (am I the only one slightly bothered by those two not being presented in alphabetical order? ;-) )
Before all of this, I should preface this with SMALL CHARACTERS NOW DO THE SAME DAMAGE AS MEDIUM SIZED ONES. - Thank you, I can now finally make my Gnome Barbarian.
This does give us a look into them, as they're both Small with speed 20 (so slower than the Goblins), but with 8 Hit Points, so more than either the Goblins or the Elves, but slightly less than the Dwarves at 10. That was about as expected. It does seem like speed is now tied to Size, at least somewhat, but we need a Medium-sized character that's not known for its speed (or lack thereof) to compare. So humans, half-elves, or half-orcs should reveal that.
We also get their ability bonuses (about as expected), and it's now confirmed that everyone gets 2 set boosts and 1 customizable one. However, something that caught my eye was THIS mention "At 1st level, your ability scores all start at 10." - They mention that you can still roll, but it seems as if the "10 in stat" will now be standard - I have to admit that simply having stats as a 10 will NOT be the standard, as opposed to rolling or point buy, as I think that would homogenize the characters a bit too much, even with the ability score boosts. But it'll depend on how it's handled, so we'll see how it works.
The ancestry feats for the halfling seems to reinforce the "David vs Goliath" style gameplay, being able to take down bigger opponents, with things like Titan Slinger granting you extra damage, and of course being particularly stealthy. The one feat that I think sticks out is Lucky Halfling, as the ability to reroll a failed (or critically failed) skill check or saving throw could be a potential lifesaver.
For the gnome the ancestry feats can reinforce their ties with the Fey world (granting more spell-like abilities), their ties with nature for talking to animals and the Discerning Smell, allowing the gnome to appreciate smells of food and drink, as well as unwashed half-orcs. Discerning Smell seems a bit nebulous as it, so I'm hoping there'll be some other mechanical benefit, apart from something like +2 to tracking when using the sense of smell. I feel that feats should present interesting options, not simply flat bonuses.
On a final note, I have to mention the artwork presented here. And that's because I'm very 50/50 on this one. The previous ones I've liked, but this time around I have to say that the Halfling really doesn't do it for me. I don't know what it is, but he looks more like a surly shaved dwarf than any image that I have of a halfling in my head (and I never really liked the hobbits as halflings - so the bare feet are not really my thing).
However, as negative as I am on the halfling, credit must be given for the gnome, as I absolutely ADORE the way she's presented. In spite of being rather heavily armed with the bow and hammer, she still seems to maintain some of the innate curiosity of the gnomes, with the wide eyes, and that crazy hat.
What do you think of the reveals here?
Until next time.
Specifically that Slings do the same damage across weapon sizes. We don't know if that is true for all weapons
Do small characters do the same damage as medium characters or did they pull away from different sizes of the same weapons?
As an example, are halflings swinging halfling sized longswords one handed for 1d8 damage (or whatever) or are halflings swinging human sized longswords two-handed for 1d8 damage (or whatever)?
I know that halflings were cited to be swinging the same damage dice worth of sling as the larger characters, but that might not translate to other weapons exactly.
Specifically that Slings do the same damage across weapon sizes. We don't know if that is true for all weapons
Mark Seifter clarified in the thread that it is all weapons.
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On a final note, I have to mention the artwork presented here. And that's because I'm very 50/50 on this one. The previous ones I've liked, but this time around I have to say that the Halfling really doesn't do it for me. I don't know what it is, but he looks more like a surly shaved dwarf than any image that I have of a halfling in my head (and I never really liked the hobbits as halflings - so the bare feet are not really my thing).
I feel the same. I was always more a fan of other fantasy setting’s take on halflings. Specially the one that comes to mind atm is an upcoming MMO called Pantheon. Fantasy setting with very cool takes on classic races with a bunch of new ones. Their halflings have a more children of the forrest/lost boys vibe. They are perpetually youthful looking and very colorful and starry eyed. Check out their description for them and their art here:
Also I’m glad I’m not the only one wanting to role a small barbarian! I’ve got my Goblin Barbarian planned out, sans the new rules, stats, etc. Ready for the playtest!!!!
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Athas halflings or gtfo XD
Specifically that Slings do the same damage across weapon sizes. We don't know if that is true for all weaponsMark Seifter clarified in the thread that it is all weapons.
Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that small characters *can* use all weapons. I would expect small characters to be unable to use a longbow, and be restricted to shortbows. I would also expect them to use shortswords and handaxes as one-handed weapons, but need two hands to use a longsword, battleaxe or warhammer, and be unable to use greatswords and other two-handed weapons.
Time will tell.
I would expect small characters to be unable to use a longbow, and be restricted to shortbows. I would also expect them to use shortswords and handaxes as one-handed weapons, but need two hands to use a longsword, battleaxe or warhammer, and be unable to use greatswords and other two-handed weapons.
I like the sound of that, alot more meaningful than "same but lower tier damage dice". Makes sense that Smalls would not have same general Reach Weapon usage, although that matters a hell of alot less since movement AoOs are no longer a general thing.